NEW DELHI: The Central Consumer Protection Authority had issued an advisory to e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits within three months to detect ‘dark patterns’ and take necessary steps to ensure its resolution.
In order to identify and eradicate ‘dark patterns’, the government has constituted a Joint Working Group (JWG) and advised e-commerce platforms to comply with Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
“The e-commerce platforms, based on the self-audit reports, have also encouraged to give self-declarations that their platform is not indulging in any dark patterns. The self-declarations by the platforms will enable fair digital ecosystem along with building trust between consumers and e-commerce platforms,” a government release said.
A “dark pattern” refers to a deceptive design technique employed in user interfaces that misleads users or coerces them into making unintended choices. This practice undermines consumer autonomy, decision-making, and overall choice.
The government has so far specified 13 dark patterns, namely: false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription trap, interface interference, bait and switch, drip pricing, disguised advertisements and nagging, trick wording, saas billing and rogue malwares.
The Department of Consumers Affairs has constituted a JWG comprising representatives from concerned Ministries, regulators, voluntary consumer organisations and NLUs. The group shall update the department also suggest appropriate awareness programmes for awaring the consumers.